Behind a Camera
by larkinlover
Summary: HITSUHINA FIC! For Toshiro Hitsugaya, everything in life was just a camera waiting to get a shot of his infamous, dazzling looks. For him, life is nothing more than just cameras, parties and cameras. But one day, the person behind the camera stands out...
1. First Sight

Behind a Camera

HITSUHINA FIC! For billionaire playboy Toshiro Hitsugaya, everything was basically a camera waiting to get a shot of his infamous, dazzling looks, and he saw is life as nothing more. Just money, parties, and the lens of a camera lining up for another shot. But one day, the person behind the camera begins to stand out, when photographer Momo Hinamori comes for a shoot!

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A strikingly beautiful, white-haired, boyish looking man in a white cashmere shirt and expensive looking cargo pants stepped out of his multi-million dollar apartment, which was situated quite nicely in Manhattan. He slammed the mahogany carved door and stormed down the marble stairs to his hot rod red Aston Martin Vanquish, furiously opening the automatically unlocking doors and roaring the engine as soon as he got in. He lay on the horn as a final statement of his fury, and screamed down the street in a cacophony of sounds and smells of screeching, burning rubber against pavement.

Toshiro Hitsugaya had it all. Money (lots and lots of it), talent, and most of all, looks. He had started out early, starring in TV and bulletin board ads for various baby companies. As he became older, the media population began to notice his growing popularity with the girls, and now at twenty years old he had starred in countless movies and had a photo shoot almost every week. He had everything he could ever ask for, and he was the envy of every success in New York.

He hated that.

_Five minutes ago_

"Hitsugaya, baby, come on! We've got another shoot in 15 minutes, and you're still getting ready! Oh, by the way, your grandmother called, said she wants you to meet someone at a dinner later tonight. Should we reschedule the movie shoot for it? I'm sure we can squeeze it in if we stay for about five minutes and pretend we were there the whole time…" A man in about his forties with a slicked back ponytail, too tight pants, and flamboyant red button-up shirt was rambling into Toshiro's ear as he furiously tried to rub the makeup from his last photo shoot off.

"Sam, shut up." Toshiro snapped.

Sam Marcello, the man in question, caught the words in his throat. He blinked back tears. "Toshiro, baby, what did Sam do to deserve this? Your manager knows best, and you should really consider-"

Toshiro cut him off again. "Scratch the shoots, scratch the movies, I don't care _what_ you have to do. I never get to see Grandma anymore, and I'm freaking sick of these photo shoots!" He threw down the cloth he had been using to try and rub the make up off (in vain) on the floor, frustrated with the make up's seemingly impenetrable forces.

Marcello chose his words with care. "Alright, Toshiro. I'll scratch the movie shoot. But you have to do the photos. They said that tonight's the only night they have their extra photographers on stand-by, otherwise you'll have to do it some other time for four hours." He smirked at Toshiro's frustrated look.

"Fine," he snapped. "I'll do the photos. It's just I'm so sick of having to run from one studio to another all the time. I swear, if one more thing comes up…" suddenly, one of the phones on the armory of phones clipped to Sam's belt vibrated. The manager flipped the phone off his impressive belt with skill only practice could offer, and answered it in a clear, crisp voice.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya's manager, how may I help you?" he listened for several moments, and blanched when the person on the other end finished their offer.

His voice was suddenly croaking. "Erm, Toshiro, baby, this lady here wants you to do…a pho-" he squeaked when Toshiro grabbed the doomed cell phone from his hand and threw it out the window. His eyes told the story, accompanied by an impressive death glare. _One shoot tonight, that's all. Then leave me alone with Grandma!_

Sam nodded furiously as Toshiro stalked out the room. When he was sure he was gone, the poor man leaped out the window to save his phone, thanking god that Toshiro's apartment was multi-floored and that they happened to be on the second floor.

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Toshiro silently fumed as he carelessly drove through the glitzy streets of the Big Apple. _All I want is a day without another freaking camera lens in my face!_ He continued to banter in his mind, cursing the fact that he knew if he didn't do this photo shoot tonight, he'd regret it later on.

The young billionaire soon pulled up to the studio, which was in a nice spot in the Soho District. He slammed the car doors shut, walking up to a lady in a hot pink business suit waiting patiently for him, a drink in hand.

"Mr. Hitsugaya," she chimed, "thank you so much for coming. We'll try to get you through this as quick as possible, we know how much you hate these things. A drink for the kind sir?" she held out the glass, which had cold condensation running down the sides, filled to the brim with sugary Pepsi and topped off with an intricately carved lemon twist on the rim.

Toshiro ignored the enticing beverage. He'd had it a million times anyway, seeing as they figured since it was his favorite drink he'd want it. Every. Single. Shoot. "No thanks. Just get me out of here as quick as possible, okay?" He walked past her, ignoring her light chit-chat as he made his way up through the building. It was all part of her contract to talk to him anyway.

Toshiro burst through the double doors that led into the studio with the lady trailing behind him, into a room filled with people bustling to do this and that to prepare for his arrival. Heads turned in his direction, a few girls sighed, and everyone returned to their assignments.

"Hitsugaya!" a voice rang out, "Just the man I want to see! Come on over, we'll start getting you ready." A man with bushy mouse brown hair and a mustache to match beckoned to him. Toshiro made his way easily to him despite the crowd, for every employee in the place timidly backed away from him as he approached as if they even brushed a finger on his shirt they'd have their heads lopped off.

"Charlie, good to see you." Toshiro's mood brightened by a quantum degree as he greeted the man. This photographer was probably his favorite, because he got the shots he wanted quickly and without too much instruction on the model's part.

Charlie smiled, the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling easily with the laugh lines etched into it. "Sorry, Toshiro, but I'm just here to set up. My assistant will be the one getting you ready and taking the shots today." He gestured at a young girl with her back to them setting up a tripod. "Oi! Hinamori! Get Toshiro ready for the shoot, and we'll begin shortly."

The girl didn't even glance back. "One moment, Charlie. I'll be right there, Mr. Hitsugaya. You can make your way to the room while you wait." Charlie shrugged, and Toshiro stepped through into a room that was fully equipped for making models beautiful and relaxed. A frightening amount of beauty products lined the walls, but Toshiro ignored them also. _I've been here too many times._ He thought as he settled down in a chair and leaned back, closing his eyes.

He heard the voice of the new assistant and another person, a man, he thought, as they came in. He didn't bother to open his eyes, too tired to try. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hitsugaya. Just relax. We'll have you ready in no time." For some reason, Toshiro found this girl's voice to be very relaxing. It reminded him of a lone, sorrowfully beautiful flute in the racket of noise of the world. His eyebrows, for once, relaxed as the girl massaged his head while the other person tweaked his hair and added more make-up. He sighed. _More make-up_. He thought bitterly. However, the girl's touch was so calming that he soon found himself drifting off.

The young celebrity was jolted awake some time later, his hair and make-up finished. A man was standing in front of him, adding last minute touches. He spoke as he concentrated on Toshiro's white locks. "Alright, Mr. Hitsugaya, you can go over and change. Hinamori'll probably be ready for you by then, she's out setting up now."

Toshiro nodded and walked over to the dressing room, where he found a shirt similar to the ones he now wore and dark, stylish jeans waiting for him. He dressed quickly and walked out into the studio, standing in front of the plain white background and bright flood lights concentrated on him. He squinted and saw a girl with brown hair behind a camera so large he couldn't see her face already snapping pictures. Startled, he composed himself and for a millionth time, looked into the aperture of the thing he hated so passionately, and posed.

The photo shoot, as it turned out, wasn't as bad as most. The Hinamori girl or whatever her name was did a quick and painless job, taking 10 pictures and second and only asking him to change his pose occasionally in that relaxing, enchanting voice of hers. When she did ask something of him, it was reasonable and easy to comply to. Nonetheless, it was still an hour of staring into a lens, an hour that Toshiro had to bear through like he was getting teeth pulled. It was just the mere fact that he had to look into another camera that made it so…unbearable. He stared at the hated device, studying how the light reflected off the glass and how the slender, delicate fingers of the assistant skillfully manipulated the complicate lens. And all this while, the young billionaire thought of how much he hated every flash, every click.

Finally, after looking so long at the thing he despised most in the world, the Hinamori girl held up her hand, taking last minute pictures as she spoke. "Thank you very much, Mr. Hitsugaya. The magazine will definitely appreciate these shots." She finished up and lowered the camera, finally revealing her face from behind it. Toshiro froze. She smiled sweetly at him before turning around and taking the monstrous instrument to the back of the room.

As she turned, Hitsugaya stared after her and switched his gaze to a mirror that reflected that lovely, stunning, captivating, simple _beautiful_ face. The girl nonchalantly spoke with Charlie, showing him a few pictures on the screen, never looking up.

And Toshiro Hitsugaya's world came crashing down on him, as he stood paralyzed from the glance of the face that had done it. The face behind a camera that he despised so much that had hidden it for so long.

The face of that Hinamori girl. Momo Hinamori.

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_**REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE!! (Later added):**_ Awrite y'all this stories given me a nice surprise after the second day. There's over 200 hits! *does the dance* however, lotta yall just favorite or alert it and don't review. As much as I appreciate the faves and alerts, PLEASE FOR MY OWN HEALTH (and possibly yours), REVIEW!!! People dont realize how special they are to me :3 One or two words is cool! I just need to know what people think! ;D **_And do go on_** to the next chapter, I'm rather proud of it ^^

Hope you enjoyed reading! Please read an review! I'm not sure if I'll do anything with this, it's really more of a oneshot, but if enough reviews come in I might elaborate. Thanks for reading! =DD

**Note later added: Muhahaha take that Gchan I found new words for camera! ;DDD


	2. Aftershock

Hehe well I'm kinda disappointed with the reviews, (Quantity, not quality. They were nice reviews :D) but this story is dying to be written, so Imma write this out whether ya like it or not!

Chapta 2 :DD

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Toshiro stood like that, completely dumbstruck, in the middle of the room for only God knows how long. Time seemed to have slowed down for him, as he followed the graceful figure of the girl who had just made his entire world explode walk around the room, and eventually leave through the exit. It wasn't until her absence became apparent that the poor celebrity finally snapped out of his reverie, and when he eventually came within grasp of his bearings, he wanted to kick himself. The beautiful girl was gone, and he'd stood there like some slack-jawed idiot.

The feeling the young billionaire was experiencing was incomprehensible. Every fiber of his being was now blazing with exhilaration and new purpose, and every color, every smell, every shape seemed more vibrant, more beautiful. He blinked as he surveyed the room, hardly being able to believe what a change he was seeing. _I feel like my heart…my mind…all suddenly became…alive._ The awestruck young man thought. He was so absorbed in his new world that he nearly yelled when a flash hit his eyes, creating fuzzy, colorful shapes in his sight.

He heard a giggle. He turned and saw a teenage girl with a digital camera in her hands staring at him. She stuttered when she noticed him looking at her, still giggling. "S-sorry, Mr. Hitsugaya. My aunt brought me here today to watch your photo shoot, but you just had the most _adorable_ look on your face that I had to get a picture." She blushed and scuttled away, staring at her precious new treasure on her screen.

Toshiro was too disoriented to think anything at all of it. When the pretty colors obscuring his vision died down somewhat, he began to stumble around the room until he finally found who he was looking for.

"Sam." He merely stated.

The photographer looked up and frowned. "Nice shoot, Toshiro, but you look like you saw a ghost. Something the matter?"

Toshiro shook his head slowly, and said thickly, "No…Sam. Who's Momo Hinamori?"

Sam seemed confused. "Why, she's the girl that took your pictures today. You met her."

Toshiro shook his head again. "No, I mean _who is she? _Tell me about her."

Sam frowned again. "Well, er, she's a new intern here, right from film school. I think she's nineteen or twenty, living off charity from various sponsors to pay for her internship and food and flat, and no one seems to know anything about her beyond that. Satisfied?"

Toshiro didn't say a word for an uncomfortably long time. Sam began to fidget when Toshiro mumbled quietly, "Thank you." And turned and left through the exit, still stumbling somewhat.

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Toshiro's grandmother was humming peacefully as she waited at the bench on the corner of the street, content to just sit and do nothing while she waited for her grandson to arrive. She smiled at the thought of Toshiro. _I haven't seen him in so long, he's so busy. But I know that he doesn't like that, so I'm fine with it just so long as he takes some time to see me every once in a while._ She thought. Just then, she heard the unmistakable roar of a Ferrari pulling up around the street and stood up to greet her grandson.

She waved, and the Ferrari swerved dangerously to come to a halt beside her. She smiled down at the tinted window until it rolled down to reveal the snowy head of Toshiro. However, her smile slowly turned to a frown when she saw his face.

"Good gracious, Toshiro. You don't usually drive like that, and you look paler than your hair. Something wrong?" She asked him as she walked around the car and seated herself in the plush leather passenger seat, buckling up.

Toshiro seemed dazed out for a minute, like her words hadn't even made contact with his ears. Suddenly, he snapped out of his daydream and slammed on the accelerator, causing the ridiculously fast car to scream down the street.

Now, your average Grandma at this point would probably be screaming to the driver to cease at that very moment. However, Obaa-san was no average grandmother. She laughed giddily as her grandson twisted and turned through the streets, enjoying the exhilaration. Finally, Toshiro broke the stony silence he had retained.

"Where to?" he merely asked. "You said you wanted me to meet someone."

Grandma sighed. "She's had to cancel. Why don't we just go to your house and I'll cook something up?"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "She?" _I doubt she's anything compared to Hinamori…_

Grandma giggled. "Oh, well, I thought you might want to meet some new people, so I asked my friend's granddaughter to meet up with us. But maybe some other time."

That night, Obaa-san made a delicious pot roast and cake which they shared for dinner. However, when she was gone and Toshiro was left to his own thoughts, he found that the face of the Hinamori girl constantly blossoming in his mind, especially when he was trying to fall asleep.

With that in his mind, Toshiro Hitsugaya fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in his life.

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Happy Toshiro makes me wanna cry. :] Hope you enjoyed reading, _**AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!111**_

**Btw even if you don't have an account, you can still review! Just sign as anonymous =DDDDD**


	3. Traces

Chapter 3! Enjoy! _**(AND REVIEW!)**_ No subliminal messaging whatsoever in these fics xD

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Toshiro woke up that morning in an unusual mood. Usually, he'd wake up groggy and depressed that yet another day had come, but this morning, he felt…different. As if he had a new purpose other than making young teenage girls fall in love with him and making sappy love movies. He blinked, staring up at the ceiling, a little dazed. And then, it happened.

A ridiculously vivid, clear memory of Hinamori's face hit him like a freight train. He took a sharp intake of breath, his eyes widening at how accurately he could remember the face of a girl he only saw for a minute. When he recovered from this beautiful wake-up call, he decided there was only one thing to do.

"Sam," he said into the mouthpiece of a Bluetooth phone, still in bed, "you ever heard of a girl named Momo Hinamori?"

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"Alright, Toshiro. This is everything me and the tech boys could come up with." Sam threw a single sheet of paper on Toshiro's laptop, catching his attention.

Toshiro looked down. The paper was only half filled with double spaced words. It merely said, "Momo Hinamori: Valedictorian, Class of 2006, New York Film School." Beside the words, there was a small yearbook picture of Momo. Toshiro stared at the little thing for an eternity before turning to Sam.

"This…is it?" he asked, bewildered that there was so little.

Sam shrugged, his red leather shirt squeaking with the movement. "You mentioned she went to film school. We looked through the whole internet. She's nonexistent there, save for the school's site. Her official files, like passport and government dealings and such are restricted. My main tech guy Urahara had to go to the film school and find an old yearbook in the storage rooms personally after we found her name on the film school site. Apparently, she graduated within a year on a four year curriculum."

Toshiro whistled. "She's got talent."

Sam nodded. "But she's left almost no trace of her existence where ever she goes."

Toshiro sighed. "I guess we'll just have to ask the people she works with…currently." He pulled out a wafer thin cell phone and carefully dialed the number to Charlie's studio.

"Charlie Knight Studios Inc., how may I help you?" answered a brisk, female voice.

"Hey, this is Toshiro Hitsugaya. Could you get me through to Charlie?" Toshiro asked nonchalantly.

The female stuttered a bit after hearing his name. "Oh! Y-yes. Of course, one moment, Mr. Hitsugaya."

Toshiro waited for half a beat when Charlie's cheerful voice sounded on the other end. "Toshiro! Nice to hear from you! What can I do to help you today?"

Toshiro made his voice sound as uninterested as possible. "Yeah, I think you can help me. Do happen to know where that Hinamori girl lives?"

Charlie seemed genuinely confused for a second. "N-no…no one does. She just kinda shows up for work and leaves. But," his voice brightened a notch, "I know where she is right now. She left this morning with a team of mine to do a Nike shoot in the Caribbean for a couple weeks. You can look her up when she gets back. That okay?"

Toshiro fought hard to suppress a choking sound. _Two weeks?_ "Al-alright. Thanks, Charlie." He hung up without waiting for the photographer to reply.

Toshiro groaned, burying his face in his hands. "She's in the damned Caribbean for two weeks." He told a confused Sam.

Sam chuckled. "Y'know, Toshiro, to me this looks like you like this girl. The first girl you've _ever_ liked, might I add."

Toshiro raised his head, his teal eyes glaring. "Shut up, Sam." He said as he threw a silk cushion at the laughing assistant.

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Approximately three thousand miles away, Momo Hinamori was waking up in the Caribbean after sleeping in for the first time in a long time. She felt odd, as if something in New York was happening that was important. Shrugging, the young woman hopped out of bed and performed her morning ritual.

Half an hour later, Momo arrived at the hotel's breakfast buffet in shorty short jeans and a white tank top. She scanned the tables until she finally found her friend, Rangiku Matsumoto, who was already eating a breakfast so unusual it probably would've been unwise to describe it. The curvy blonde woman had already picked up two models from the shoot they were to do tomorrow, and it was easy for Momo to spot her. _Just follow the hearts floating up from their heads_ she thought, laughing inside.

Rangiku grinned when Momo sat down with a simple bowl of fruit for breakfast, peering down at her selection. "That," she said, laughing, "is no breakfast, Momo." She had just finished her own interesting array of foods, neatly stacking the plates and bowls she'd used to gather it from the buffet in a frighteningly tall pile.

Momo shrugged. "We don't all eat out the buffet on their first day, thank you very much."

Rangiku laughed as she pulled out her laptop and booted it up. She smiled to the two young men peering over her shoulder. "Thanks for the breakfast, boys. You can go back to your table now." She said kindly. The models trudged back to their table, a little dejected.

Momo ate her fruit in silence as Ran surfed the web, pleased that there were exotic fruits in the salad. Sometimes you just couldn't get enough good fruit in the Big Apple, ironically.

Just then, Rangiku squealed. "Hey, Momo! Remember how you had a shoot with Toshiro Hitsugaya the other day?" Momo nodded, raising her eyebrow. Rangiku turned her laptop around.

She giggled as she explained. "Well, this picture's been a monster on his fansites, and the girl who took it says she got it from a photo shoot at Knight Studios."

Momo stared at the picture on the pulsing screen. It was Toshiro, obviously, but unlike any picture that had ever been seen of him. His usually icy aura was absent, to be replaced by this sort of…glowing. His eyebrows, usually furrowed, was smooth and his eyes were wide and almost child like. He looked like a lost puppy.

Momo's heart rate increased a notch. She'd always rather…admired Toshiro Hitsugaya, but the chance of a celebrity that huge of noticing her was close to zero. And this picture made her realize that…he was kinda cute. (***_AN: _KINDA?!)

Momo smiled. "Well, I didn't take that. Guess someone else sneaked in a shot. A pretty good one, I might add."

Matsumoto smiled as she turned her laptop around. "Yeah. He's pretty hot." She looked up at Momo, her eyebrow quirking. "Don't you think so, Momo-chan?"

Momo blushed several shades, despite herself. "Ran, you know me better than anyone else. You should know that I'm not the type of girl to go after a guy, especially a celebrity."

Matsumoto laughed. "Yeah, but by the looks of the comments on this photo, a few hundred thousand girls wouldn't mind going after him at all. I'm surprised that even this gorgeous photo didn't break through to you."

Momo merely shrugged. It probably would've been unwise to say anything anyway.

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Back in New York City, Toshiro Hitsugaya moaned. _Two weeks…_ he thought. He groaned a bit more before picking up his laptop and resumed his search. Maybe Yahoo! would have something on her…

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And that's chapter 3! Need I say it again? _**PLEASE OH PLEASEEEEEEEE REVIEW!!! TWO WORDS! EVEN ONE! **_ thank you :]

**And please check out my other fics! They're dying to be read too! **Sweet Peaches is the only other multi-chaptered one, but I fancy it as rather good. My oneshots were fun to write tho :P

Yeah, yeah, shameless advertising. I know. Hope you enjoyed tho!


	4. Searching

Chapter 4 is up and running! I'm overwhelmed by how many hits this thing's got, over 300 in one day! However, this gives absolutely no excuse as to why there's only 12 reviews. _**REVIEW, AND YE SHALL HAVE FASTER, BETTER CHAPTAS**_

On with the show!

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Sam Marcello climbed the short staircase to Toshiro's front door excruciatingly slowly. The usually flamboyant, upbeat man had a slight dip in his gait and a slouch in his back. His eyes were lined with layer upon layer of bags, and his hair had refused to be tamed that morning and was in a frizzy, stiff mess. Finally, the assistant took the last mountain of a step (or so it seemed to him) and reached the door. He rummaged in his unusually loose cargo pant's many pockets until he located a single brass key, and reached his arm out clumsily and fumbled around the lock until he finally made contact and twisted the key to the right, unlocking the impressive mahogany doors' locks. As he walked in, he tiredly punched in a code in a keypad and allowed a small device to scan his eye so the house would permit him to fully enter. When all the security precautions were finally over, Sam made his way through to a small elevator built into the middle of the multi-floored apartments and stepped inside, selecting the 5th floor. He waited impatiently as the shaft slowly made its way upward, fidgeting in place as it painstakingly climbed the floors. Finally, the doors opened and Sam stepped into Toshiro's enormous bedroom, which was still cloaked in darkness since it was still early (_very early,_ grumbled Sam) morning.

Sam was startled too see Toshiro's massive, king sized bed with dark, night sky blue covers surprisingly neat. It seemed that Toshiro hadn't slept there last night. Sam scanned the spacious room, checking the varying shades of blue couches and chairs to see if maybe he'd fallen asleep on one of them last night instead. They too were all empty and neat. Sam checked the bathroom, searching the shower and hot tub to see if he'd drowned while bathing. Frustrated, the manager turned back into the room and got on his hands and knees down to the cherry colored teak floor and searched under the bed and couches. At last, he saw the figure of an upright Toshiro sitting on the floor to the side of the bed, in the little nook the bed and alabaster stone wall made. He sighed, stood up, and made his way over to the white-haired man.

When Sam finally was within viewing point of Toshiro, he was genuinely surprised to see the celebrity still in yesterday's clothes, typing away on his laptop, the glow from the screen blanching his skin so he looked like a ghost. The laptop's screen's luminescence was the only source of light in the room, and Sam reach over and clicked on a nearby lamp, wincing as the light's rays stung his dilated eyes until they adjusted. Now that the man had a good view of Toshiro, it was apparent that by the looks of him, he'd stayed up all night just like Sam, searching for the Hinamori girl. The only hint that he hadn't gone to sleep was the slight, palpable fatigue that radiated from him. However, the look of fiery determination in his eyes as he furiously typed and clicked seemed to condemn that exhaustion as a mere minor setback.

Toshiro glanced up for a split second, noticing Sam as the light clicked on. "Morning, Sam." He mumbled as he returned to his search.

Sam mumbled a reply as he crouched down the floor and peered over Toshiro's shoulder to see what he was working on. The young celebrity was searching Facebook, Hi5, and several MMORPG's simultaneously on varying tabs for the Hinamori girl. Sam suppressed a grinned and tapped Alt+F4 on the slim keyboard, effectively closing the browser.

"Don't bother." Was his answer to Toshiro's shocked face. " I searched those all last night, just as you asked me to. She's not there, she's not anywhere. And you should be in this thing called a bed. Do you remember it? I think it's been a while since you've used one…"

Toshiro chuckled. "Pull up a laptop and we can both go to bed right when we've found something substantial on her."

The offer was sweet enough. Find something, get big, soft bed. Sam nodded as he made his way to Toshiro's shelf of laptops that were stacked like books. He selected a sturdy, non-heating silver one and trailed the power cord out as he made his way over to Toshiro and plopped next to him on the floor.

The two men worked in silence for a while, the only sound being the tap of tired fingers on keys and mice. Daybreak was just approaching when Sam's fuzzy mind hit upon a realization.

"Hey, Toshiro."

Toshiro didn't even glance up, his concentration so intent that all he did was merely raising his eyebrows a millimeter to acknowledge that he'd heard.

"Why don't you just fly over to the Caribbean yourself, once you have enough info on this girl? God knows you haven't enough spare change to afford it…"

Toshiro sighed. "Yeah, I considered that myself. But the Caribbean's a big place, over 7,000 islands make it up. Charlie wasn't specific enough, but I don't really want to call Knight Studios back, they'll think I'm a stalker…"

Sam barked a laugh. "That's all that's been holding you back? Stand back and watch and learn, my good friend." The manager smirked as he flipped a cell phone off his belt and quickly dialed a number, raising the device to his ear as he waited.

A disheveled sounding voice answered. "Hullo?" the person asked. The poor man, for it was a masculine voice, sounded as if he'd been called out of bed. _Who wouldn't be in bed at this hour besides crazy people? _Sam thought bitterly.

His own voice didn't reflect his irritation, however. It was its usual cheeriness as he spoke. "Urahara, my main man, could you hack into Knight Studios; employee travel records? We're looking for a group of its people who just set off for somewhere in the Caribbean…"

The man on the other end of the line's glare was almost palpable, even thought they were on phones. "You woke me up at this unholy hour for that easy a job? Fine, but you owe me six minutes of my life and sleep back…" The sound of the keys of a keyboard was apparent in the background as the technician did a quick job of Sam's task. Five minutes and forty five seconds later, he spoke again.

"Here we are, a group of their photographers just set off to the Bahamas, in Nassau. They're staying at the Four Seasons hotel, the one about 130 miles away from the main city. That good enough for you?" he said irritably.

"Yes," answered Sam, "thanks, Kisuke. And this now only a 5 minute 56 second call, thank you very much."

Click.

Sam chuckled as he stowed the phone away in its designated compartment on his belt. "The Bahamas. I'll book you a flight right away, you'll be leaving by this afternoon." He picked up another cell phone from his belt as Toshiro tiredly smiled at him as he shut down his laptop and shakily stood up.

"S'why I have you 'round, Sam. You always know the fastest way…" Toshiro mumbled incoherently the rest of the way to his plush bed, and fell with a graceful Thwack! onto its soft midnight blue covers. He was asleep before he even hit, curling up under the viridian runner blankets like a young boy returning to bed after a long, tiring midnight adventure.

Sam finished his phone call to the airport and chuckled to see his boss sleeping in such a childlike way, and grabbed one of the spare blankets out of the closet and flicked off the light as he made himself comfortable on one of the couches, soon drifting off into much-awaited unconsciousness as well.

That night (day? night? morning?), Toshiro dreamed of Momo Hinamori, his visions sweet with the anticipation of once again seeing her with the knowledge that he'd soon be on a plane, always journeying his way to her, no matter how far.

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Hopefully you know the drill by now. _**REVIEW, FER GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!**_ ↓↓↓↓↓

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!


	5. Apologies, from Me

Author note (Please don't kill me for it not being a chapter, but it's necessary)

Dear Reader:

As you might have noticed, I haven't updated lately. This would be for two reasons: The first being that I just had my all finals which ended today (YES!) and I can now write this because I have time to do something other than study and eat while buried in notes and books. (Sleep not in there because…I didn't get a lot of it)

Second reason is more serious. My grandfather has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, which has spread to his brain, and I'm more than a little stressed. This Christmas my family and I will be flying over to the US to spend it with him and my family there, and although I probably will update more often, maybe every 1-3 days, please excuse any poor writing or angstyness. I'll try for fluffy as possible tho. : ) Also sorry for posting this on both of my multi-chaptered stories, but some people only keep track of one and it was also necessary.

Sorry for this not being a chapter, just me letting you all know I'm still writing, just a little delayed and maybe a little angsty.

Thanks to all my readers who've stuck with me. =]

Love and Merry Christmas, Hannukah, Qwanza, and New Years

Larkin


	6. Fire

Mmhmm I know, I said review and y'all would have more chappies faster but I sowwy, was doing SAT's, please don't kill me. :x I forgot to mention, my previous signature really seemed to inspire reviews. (Ah heh the fer goodness sakes one xD) So now, I'll end every chapter like that, just to annoy you all into reviewing ;]

On with the show!

------R-E-V-I-E-W--------

review review review review review review review review review review review review review review

(What is this subliminal messaging you speak of? I've never heard or done it in my life. Now stop badgering me with monkey accusations and read the story, darn it.)

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Sam cracked open an eyelid when the annoyingly cheerful, awake voice of the flight attendant sounded in his ears. People were starting to open their windows, and the blindingly bright Caribbean light stung his dilated eyes. He grumbled some unprintable curses under his breath and shielded his eyes and looked to the right, where he expected to see Toshiro fast asleep.

Instead of seeing a white-haired celebrity getting some much-needed sleep, Sam saw Toshiro in one of the most shocking poses he'd ever seen him in. Toshiro was wide awake, resting his forehead against the back of the chair in front of him and resting his arms on his knees, holding a picture in front of his face. He looked down at the thing with such a dreamy, glowing, almost lost look on his face that Sam thought he was looking at some first child of his that he was unaware of. However, when he peered over Toshiro's broad shoulder, he saw not a child, but none other than the yearbook picture of that Hinamori girl cradled in Toshiro's long, slender fingers.

_Double yuu tee eff?_

Sam, after taking a moment to digest what he was seeing, began to laugh internally. He'd never seen Toshiro be so…in love. And then he snorted. What could he have expected? Of course the picture would have been of that Hinamori girl. _Has he been doing that the whole flight?_ Sam wondered with a frown.

Just then, the flight attendant's voice sounded over the intercom for a second time. "Ladies and gentlemen," she chimed, "Please fasten your seatbelts and put your seat in the upright position. We'll be landing in approximately eight minutes."

There was a collective sigh from all the passengers. "Finally." Toshiro and Sam muttered simultaneously, Sam as he fastened his seatbelt and Toshiro as he continued to stare at the little photograph, never tearing his eyes from his little piece of personal nirvana.

Some time later, Sam once again found himself crawling gratefully onto a couch in the Four Seasons Hotel for more sleep, pulling a light blanket over himself as he did so. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the day, he was still exhausted from his vigil and even more so from his journey. He soon fell asleep, his mouth dropping open and his trademark snores filling the hotel room.

Toshiro smiled softly as he entered the room from the bathroom and saw his manager. He grinned. _Only good friends come this far for a girl that their friends see.._ He quietly made his way around the room, stowing his light suitcase away and retrieving his wallet, cell phone (which had an international SIM card), and shades. He was happy Sam was asleep. Now, he could look for the Hinamori girl alone. He slipped on the sunglasses (AN: *swoon*) and silently walked out the door. He'd come this far, surely now that he was in the same building as her he'd be able to find her.

-r-e-v-i-e-w--

Momo Hinamori slowly lowered her camera, her forearms aching from holding them up for so long. The models had been whining, picky men and women who seemed to find great joy in defying her every request. Momo smiled as she remembered her best model ever. Mr. Hitsugaya hadn't complained like these prissy pretty people, he'd followed her every command like he'd been born to do so.

Despite the models, she had to agree with Charlie. _"C'mon, Hinamori. I guarantee the Caribbean'll be the best set you ever shot on." _He'd said. And it was. The hotel was a pretty one, with shaded walk ways winding around the entire estate and bordering the exotic, island speckled pool. Palm fronds and golden sunlight gave it that equatorial feel almost all foreign beaches seemed to have, and the pure light glistened off the surface of the aqua blue pool. The sky mirrored the same hue. The hotel had miraculously agreed to rope off the pool for the day for the shoot, and so camera equipment provided an unintentional barrier between the walk ways and the pool, though the odd passersby could find frequent gaps between the stuff to get a look at the models. Momo smiled. She liked feeling that she was performing for the other guests.

"Oi, pretty girl! Are you done yet?" drawled one of the muscle-bound, bone headed male models. Anderson was his name, Momo recalled. _Like you had to work._ Momo thought bitterly. This guy had simply had to recline on the pool chairs with several other women models (that's right, he didn't even have to stand), and yet he'd demanded that instead of him moving that she walk right up to him and move his limbs for him.

"Yes, that's enough." She said calmly, no trace of her irritation surfacing on her lovely face.

Anderson sighed in relief. "Thank god, I was started to get sore from lying down for so long." He said as he pulled one of the female models passing by to him and kissed her arm, ignoring her protests. Momo looked away, disgusted at the male chauvinism this model gave off. She quietly packed up her gear, dark thoughts crossing her mind about people like that when suddenly, she felt like someone was watching her. For some reason, she turned to the exact spot where the staring eyes were coming from, as if drawn by the force of them. She gave a sharp intake of breath when she saw who was here.

None other than Toshiro Hitsugaya was staring at her from between two floodlights, a glowing spot of white in the wave of green and mechanical black that surrounded him. Despite the sunglasses he wore (Momo thought embarrassedly how dashing he looked in them, along with the pink and white broad-striped polo he wore and brown khakis), she could tell that he was looking at her wide eyed by the way his mouth hung open slightly. The intensity of his gaze made her glance down and blush furiously, unable to meet the celebrity's hidden eyes. She turned and packed her things at the speed of greased lightning, fumbling a bit as she stowed the delicate instruments away. She turned in the other direction and walked abnormally quickly by Matsumoto, who tried to ask what was wrong but was too slow. Momo turned onto the walk way, her feet automatically making a beeline for her room. She twisted and turned through the plaster-white buildings and green vegetation that lined the path. Finally, she turned into the hall that led to her room, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Toshiro was there, standing right in front of her, close enough that she could smell the intoxicating scent he gave off. She suppressed the urge to scream as she almost collided with him, her feet automatically freezing as soon as she saw his face. She counted to three to allow her heart to restart, and looked down at her feet.

"My apologies, Mr. Hitsugaya." She said quietly. She bravely turned her gaze upward to meet his eyes, and was startled to see the sunglasses off and his striking, infamous turquoise eyes staring at her in wonder. To her utter shock, he fluidly bowed down and took her delicate hand in his own, large, warm one and kissed it, pressing his smooth lips to the soft skin of her hand.

He looked up as he did so. "No, Ms. Hinamori. It is I who should apologize, for startling you. And please call me Toshiro."

Momo dropped her gaze hurriedly. "You remember my name?" she said, her voice still quiet. Somehow, she managed to keep the quaver that she felt in her throat from surfacing in her voice.

Unbelievably, Toshiro smiled. _Toshiro Hitsugaya, smiling for real! _She exclaimed in her thoughts.

"I'd never forget your name." he said.

She bowed her head respectively. "It's an honor to be remembered, Sir." As she said it, she slowly walked by him and quickened her pace, arriving at her door almost instantaneously. She entered the blissfully safe haven her room provided. She gasped for air and slid down against the wall onto the floor. She closed her eyes, unable to believe the experience she just had.

Many people had said that when one talked to Toshiro Hitsugaya, the feeling was like ice. But for Momo, it'd been different.

It'd felt like fire.

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I do believe I'll leave it there. You can read Toshiro's reaction in the next chapter, which will come quickly if you _**FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **_↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓


	7. Ideas

_****NOTE LATER ADDED:**_ Yeah I had to repost this chapter cause I needed to make some edits and it wouldn't do it normally, so sorry if it sent you another email! =/

Oh wow, its been 2 weeks? Yeah, I know I said review and I'd update fast, but…I've had troubles. But here's chapter 7! And better, I have an idea for 8 so it should come up pretty quickly. *Sniff* I know that this'll be the chapter that makes 50 reviews, and Im so happy! If you do happen to be the 50th reviewer, you get a prize! I don't know what it is yet, Im thinking. Oh! Btw, I have an idea for a new multi-chaptered fic, so that'll be cool. Keep an eye out for it. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me, and enjoy chapter 7!

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As Toshiro watched the petite photographer walk by him, time seemed to slow down. She couldn't seem to meet his gaze, but he unashamedly stared at her, watching her every movement as she took each step, as she fiddled with her camera's neck strap, as she almost brushed his shoulder as she passed him. He watched her right up until the cherry colored wood of her door was slammed close, the small mechanism on its side making a click as it fell neatly in place with the small purchase in the doorsill.

For a moment, everything was still. The celebrity couldn't seem to bring himself to breathe. But as he abruptly realized that his body cried out for oxygen, and he released the stale air in his lungs with a gasp. He leaned against the white washed pillar behind him, sliding down until he was sitting on the path's pebbled surface. He closed his famous teal eyes, letting his head tilt back and thud against the pillar.

"_I found her…_"

Just then, the small amount of light that he could see through his eyelids disappeared, and Toshiro opened his eyes to see the shadow of his manager looming over him. The man's expression surprised Toshiro: Almost…slightly amused.

The corner of Sam's lip rose a bit, making his infamous smirk dominate his face. He bent down a bit, seemingly quite smug about his finding. "Oooh boy." He simply said, still looking down at Toshiro.

Toshiro stared blankly up at him.

Sam straightened, pulling up his pants as he smiled and said, "If only you could see yourself now. I never knew you were such a romantic! But then again, you can't really blame me since you've never had a crush before. If the paparazzi were here, there'd be a feeding frenzy. Tomorrow's cover of People Magazine: Toshiro Hitsugaya Swept Off His Feet by Unknown Photographer!" He chuckled, obviously enjoying his joke.

Toshiro snorted. "C'mon, as much as I almost hate to admit it, I've been totally obsessed over this girl ever since I first saw her. I'm surprised I didn't faint."

Sam grinned, bending down close enough that Toshiro could see the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. "Admittance is the first step. Bravo, I'm glad you're beginning to realize the extent of this little infatuation of yours." He began clapping, a big silly grin on his face as he did so.

Toshiro's face said it all: I am not amused.

Sam's grin faded. "Alright then, funny stuff aside. Besides, I hit upon something as I was coming to get you." He looked down at his shoes.

Toshiro was curious. "What's that?"

Sam looked up. "You do realize that eventually, the press is gonna find out about all this. You won't have any more night left, there's going to be so many camera flashes following you. And what's more-"

Toshiro held his hand up. "Sam, I don't care. I'm used to it by now."

Sam scowled. "If you'd let me finish...what about the girl? You might be used to it, but even if she stays away from you once they find out about all of this, and they will, I assure you, she's going to get famous for being the girl that drew Toshiro Hitsugaya, the Infamous, forever-never-loving Ice Prince, all the way to the freaking Caribbean! There's going to be so much coverage on her, she'll most likely be scarred for life, at the very least. Reporters are probably going to be breaking into her house to find out what brand of panties she wears! And from what I see, she's pretty shy. Add that up and I'm betting more than anything that she'll have had a nervous breakdown by the end of the first week. Think about what you might do to this girl, Toshiro!" Sam was panting by now, clutching at a stitch in his side from the exertion of his speech.

Toshiro was silent for almost too long. His eyes were distant and glazed, as if this new revelation had spun him off into the depths of space, a million miles away. But then, he came crashing back down to earth, and the light returned to his eyes. He slowly turned his head to look at Sam, and the tiniest of smiles crept onto his face.

"We'll run away." He stated quite simply.

Sam almost fainted right then and there. "Absolutely out of the question. You'd basically be on the run, despite the fact that you wouldn't have broken any laws. You of all people should know how persistent the press can be, what with us having to fight for almost a year for that restraining order. That thing may be the only reason we're not being watched by at least fifty cameras and bloodthirsty reporters in the bushes at this very moment."

Toshiro grabbed at his hair with both his hands and squinted both his eyes tightly shut, the very image of a school child trying to process too much information. "Sam, I don't know! Maybe she could cope. She'll most likely know who I am, and she can decide for herself whether or not she wants to deal with that once she knows how I feel. If not, well, I can love her from a distance and with a broken heart, I guess…" he trailed off. There really didn't seem to be much more to say.

Sam cleared his throat. "Fine, then. We'll leave it up to the girl. But, oh Romeo, just how to you plan to let her know how you feel?"

Toshiro smirked. "Oh, I have ideas."

Sam groaned. "Why do I have the feeling that your 'ideas' are going to be far from traditional? Why not just do things the normal way?"

Toshiro's grin widened somewhat. "But there'd be no fun in the normal ways."

For some reason, all of the sudden Sam knew this was going to take a lot of work.

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Later added: Congrats to the anonymous reviewer, jujubeans?, for being the 50th reviewer! If you have a real username, please PM me, juju! Ill think up your prize soon, I swear. _NEW PRIZEY GOES TO 60th and MAYBE 70th REVIEWERS!_ HURRY UP!

Psh I know short, but if you know me by now you should know that the majority of my chapters are under 2,000 words. Thanks for reading! This might not make sense, but _**YOU MIGHT BE THE 60**__**th/70th**__** REVIEWER!!!!! REVIEW, FOR GOODNESS GRACIOUS (gracious? wtv.) SAKES!**_ ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓


	8. Roses

Amazingly, not much to say. Enjoy! =)

(Oh, a please do check out my fics afterward. Ah ha, you see, it's impossible for me not to advertise in these pre-notes...) xDDD

* * *

When Momo awoke, she found herself gracefully sprawled on her hotel room's plush couch. At first, she didn't move a muscle; she just opened her eyes and scanned the room. Upon realizing where she was, she sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes. It was dark outside, so it could've been either late at night or very early in the morning.

_I must've fallen asleep when I got back._ She thought, but then, Got _back? Got back from where?_

At that moment, every memory of what had occurred after the shoot came flooding back into her head. She gasped and fell back onto the couch, her chest heaving from her efforts to breathe properly.

_Toshiro Hitsugaya is here! _

Shaking her head, hardly believing her memories, she reached over and switched on the lamp. As warm light flooded throughout her small room, she was able to see the small clock mounted on the wall, reading 4am. She groaned and once again flopped back onto the couch.

"Gah! I told Ran I'd meet her for dinner last night!" she thought, horrified that she'd slept through it all. Grumbling, she got back up again, heading for the bathroom. As her bare feet padded against the carpeted floor of her hotel room, she thought vaguely of ways she could tell Rangiku what had happened. She entered her bathroom, switching on the light as she did so. And then, she gasped.

Her once-bare little bathroom had been completely changed overnight. The bathtub had been filled to the brim with fully bloomed, delicate scarlet roses, similar roses dotting her bathroom counter and also occupying the porcelain sink and glass-walled shower. Petals of the same deep, vivid red hue were scattered around the sleek marble floor. More flowers had been tucked between the fleecy white towels stacked in a cupboard built into the wall, it's small doors left open for all to see the effect.

Momo looked around the bathroom in wonder, gently taking a rose off the counter and softly touching its petals. To her astonishment, closer inspection revealed a tiny, simple heart inscribed with golden ink on a petal of each flower. She slowly raised the rose to her nose and breathed in its sweet scent, marveling at the delicate aroma. She set the rose back on the counter, and as she did so noticed something else resting on the surface of it. She almost couldn't bring herself to breathe as she delicately picked the small object up and read the elegantly hand written note placed under it. It read, quite simply,

_The first of many._

Momo pressed the fragile glass rose to her heart, which was a good thing, otherwise it might not have survived what happened next. It was at that moment that Momo Hinamori quite by accident fainted, falling as gently as a tree falls, and landing on the soft bathroom carpet that lay conveniently in wait.

* * *

That day at around eight in the morning, Rangiku Matsumoto was patiently waiting for her fellow photographer and friend in the lobby of the hotel their photo shoot crew was currently lodged at. The curvy blonde was contently inspecting her nails, sitting in one of the hotel's posh lounge chairs when she saw her friend approach, and happily got up to greet her.

"Morning, Momo-chan!" she said cheerfully. But Momo didn't say anything. Worried, Rangiku inspected her friend's face, and grew more concerned when she saw that the girl's pallor was pale and ashy, and that she was trembling slightly.

"Momo! Are you feeling alright? Are you sick? Is that why you didn't show up at dinner last night? It's totally fine, by the way, I ate with some of those models from breakfast the other day to make up for your absence."

Momo managed to rasp, "Fainted...this morninng..."

Matsumoto made a sound of exclamation. "Oh my gawd! Do you need a doctor? I'm sure we can get you out to one-"

Momo shook her head. "Well," She began, her voice gaining srength as she spoke "I fell asleep early yesterday and I woke up really early this morning. And then I got...a surprise."

Rangiku looked at her with a blank look on her face. "Burglar? Drunk man in the wrong room?" She quipped.

Momo shook her head again.

* * *

A few minutes later, the two photographers were standing in Momo's beflowered bathroom. Matsumoto's jaw had dropped so low, Momo was surprised it hadn't come unhinged and was falling clean off her face. The taller woman slowly walked around in wonder, touching a flower here and there, marveling at everything she saw.

"Who...?"

Momo shrugged her shoulders. "I have absolutely no idea. They did leave these as well, though." She reached into her purse and brought out a laced handkerchief, from which she brought forth the delicately spun glass flower and the note.

Rangiku inspected these new additions like a detective would two new clues in an investigation.

"No wonder you fainted...I probably would've screamed, myself." She looked over at Momo, who was absently fiddling with the petals of a rose as she leaned against the wall. "You have any suspects?"

At this, Momo blushed furiously.

Matsumoto didn't miss it. "Aha! Blushing! Spill it, Momo Hinamori!"

Momo smiled embarassedly. "Well, yesterday, after the shoot-"

Rangiku stared blankly into space thoughtfully. "Ah, that's right. You disappeared so fast, I thought a loved one of yours had died or something..."

"-If you'd let me continue, I was followed by someone. He intercepted me right before I got to my door, and he...said that he'd remembered my name, and then kissed my hand."

Matsumoto seemed unimpressed. "Well, that's happened before, to an extent. I swear, Momo, the number of hearts you've broken with just your face and your shyness...what was so special about this guy?"

Momo mumbled something incoherent.

Rangiku raised her hand to her ear. "Sorry? I didn't catch that."

Momo scowled. She looked down at her feet before speaking. "I said," her voice dropping down to a whisper, "his name was Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Matsumoto screamed.

"Ohmygawdohmygawdohmygawd!!! OHMYGAWD! THE Toshiro Hitsugaya?!" Rangiku was jumping up and down so fast she was almost a continuous blur.

Momo nodded reluctantly.

She screamed again. "MOMO!! Why didn't you tell me this as soon as you saw me? EEEEE! Oh, when the press hears about his little rose bombing on you! There's gonna be drinking tonight!"

"Ran! Calm down!"

The blonde stopped, almost in midair.

"Really, Ran, you seriously believe that he did this? That was just something that was suspicious that I'm telling you! Don't get your hopes up. C'mon, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Ice Prince Extraordinare, falling for ME? He's famous for never showing an interest in anyone, for goodness sake! Him doing something like this is close to impossible!"

Rangiku smirked. "Well, we used to think that him following a girl all the way to the Caribbean and going right up to her and kissing her hand was impossible too, no?"

Momo snorted. "Oh, please. You seriously think he came all the way here to see me? He's probably just here on some shotgun vacation, and saw me and recognized me from the shoot we did with him."

Rangiku skeptically raised an eyebrow.

Momo was beginnig to get frustrated. "C'mon, Ran! There's no way in heaven that Toshiro Hitsugaya would ever fall for me!"

Rangiku giggled. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we? Haven't you wondered how all these things got here, in the middle of the night?"

Momo grumbled a 'yes'.

Rangiku clapped her hands happily. "We'll just have to find out, then!"

* * *

Several minutes later, Ran was ringing the small brass bell conveniently placed on the hotel's reception desk.

"Helloooo? Is anybody there?"

Just then, a polished looking man in a suit burst from a pair of double doors to the side and quickly ran behind the desk. When he got there, he smoothed his hair and put on a blindingly white smile.

"Yes, ladies? How may I help you?" he chimed.

Momo was about to say no, he couldn't help us in any way, but Rangiku elbowed her in the ribs and pushed her aside, smiling enchantingly at the receptionist.

"Yes, we'd like to know a few things. Last night a freakish amount of roses appeared in my friend here's bathroom, and we were wondering how they got there. Since the person who put them there would obviously need the key to her room, we assumed that you would know." She looked expectantly at the man.

The man seemed confused. "Hang on, I'll make a quick call."

He turned around and picked up a phone, dialing the number quickly. He was soon speaking rapid French that neither of the girls could understand to somebody on the other end of the line. He quickly hung up.

"Well, ladies, it seems that last night an anonymous person left a giant crate of roses outside our door, with specific instructions to place them in your room. Our cleaning ladies put them there last night while you were asleep, because the note attached demanded that it be done that day. I've called the two ladies who did it here, you can ask them about it personally. Anything else?" He asked brightly.

Rangiku frowned. "Oh well, we won't know who it is, at least not today. What do you say, Momo? Would you like to talk to those ladies?"

Momo shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

A few minutes later, two women in their mid forties emerged from the same doors the receptionist had come through, politely curtsying to Momo and Rangiku.

One of the ladies smiled warmly. "I am Emelie, and this is Fleur to my left. Yesterday at around seven pm, a large crate full of roses arrived, and instructed us to arrange them creatively in the bathroom of room 317, without the occupant of the room knowing. It also had a small box with that darling little glass flower in it, and the note attached to it. Forgive us for cleaning your room while you were sleeping, Miss, but the instructions specifically said to do it in secret and that very night." She smiled the smile of a mother.

Momo smiled back. "Oh, it's alright. I just want to know who's responsible for this."

Rangiku giggled. "You ladies agree with me though, right? Isn't it undeniably romantic?"

The two ladies giggled as well. "Oh, yes miss. We were glad to help whatever gentleman sent them." Fleur said, dimpling as she did so.

Rangiku grinned at them. "Thanks for the account. If he ever tries it again, though, try and tell me!" She winked at the two women, and they smiled back at her before leaving.

Rangiku grinned over at Momo as they walked down the hall back to Momo's room. "Alright, so we didn't find out, but I still say it's Hitsu-"

Momo cut her off irritably. "Ran, I already told you! There's no way that a celebrity like Toshiro Hitsugaya's ever going to fall for me!"

* * *

Well, that's chapter 7! Hope you enjoyed! People who've read my oneshot, _Glass Rose_, will spot the similarities between this chapter and it. Sorry, but I liked the idea a lot and wanted to use it here. =PP This chapter was surprisingly easy to get out, but I can't say Im totally satisfied with it. Oh well! Look out for my other stories, and I'll be adding another fic soon for a contest!

Please, flames or no flames, review! I find it easier to write the more persistent the reviews are. =PPP

_**REEEEVVVVIIIIEEEEWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

Please. =)


	9. Screaming

Weeks late, I KNOW. But hey, Im pretty happy with how this turned out! Hope yall aren't too mad. And behold, CHAPTER 9!

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Toshiro closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. The unique, pleasant wind that blew against his face was heavily weighed with the scents of salt water, sand, and tinges of sunscreen. He opened his eyes, a sudden appearance of turquoise on his face. He looked around and scanned the reflective, pure sand of the beach. Finally spotting who he was looking for, he trudged through the soft white sand to him.

He leaned over till he cast a long shadow over the lying form in front of him. He smirked as Sam stirred from the sudden loss of sunlight, and gently nudged the overly sun screened, board short and white t-shirt clad manager with his sandaled foot.

Sam's eyes shot open.

''WHAT?!"

Toshiro chuckled. "Having a nice time, Sam?"

Sam grumbled. "I would if you'd get out of my sun and if I didn't have my hands cut in a million places." He held up his bandages digits as he lay back down and tipped a hat over his eyes. "That's the last time you're making me handle that many roses, God damnit."

Toshiro shrugged. "What kind of taste do I have in flowers? That left only you to pick out the type."

Sam continued to grumble, some of the sounds resembling slurred profanities. "What do you want, Toshiro? I doubt you came to the beach of your own accord, not what with what happened with those preteens in California."

Toshiro smiled. "Oh, nothing. Just wanted to tell you that the maids said Momo really liked the roses this morning."

A small, almost unnoticeable grin appeared on Sam's face.

"She liked them then? Good, I'd've hated to have lost the use of my hands for nothing."

Toshiro nodded as he plopped down onto the sand, sitting up as he absentmindedly picked up handfuls and allowed the grains to fall through his fingers. The two sat in a contented silence, simply taking in the sights and sounds of the beach.

A while later, Sam spoke. "Toshiro…"

Toshiro merely mumbled an "Mmm?" as he continued to look out over the horizon, a lost, almost wondrous look on his face."

Sam sighed. "You gotta tell me…how're you planning on taking this further? For some reason, my guts telling me this is a far from tradition little infatuation, and I'm curious as to how you, the infamous Ice Prince, is going to conduct all this."

Toshiro didn't reply for a while. Then very slowly, he turned his head to face same and smiled the tiniest of smiles. "I think I have an idea."

------

Momo had insisted that although she wanted some of the roses in vases at first, they would all end up being stripped of their petals and dried eventually. And so here she and Rangiku were, placing bunches into large glass vases the hotel had loaned and occasionally selecting a flower and picking its petals off as they watched celebrity news.

The bathroom was almost completely emptied of roses, save for a few Ran had declared to be in too pretty a spot to move, when there was a knock at the door. Momo rose to get it when Rangiku absently waved her hand at her to stay and got up to answer. Momo sat back down on the bed and resumed her drying when suddenly, there was a scream.

"MOOOOMOOOOOO!!!!!"

Panicked, worried that perhaps Rangiku was being attacked, Momo sprinted to the door only to skid to a halt when she who was there.

"Mr…Mr. Hitsugaya!" She croaked as she walked up and took Ran's arm. The curvy woman's face was distinctly pink, and she had a look on her face as if she was looking at the ghost of her mother. She was gripping the doorknob so hard that Momo was afraid she would dent the metal with Rangiku-finger-like marks.

Momo gently led Ran to a nearby chair and then turned around to face Toshiro.

"I apologize, Mr. Hitsugaya. She's been a fan of yours for quite a while, she's just excited." Momo said as she gestured back at a still completely paralyzed Rangiku.

Toshiro smiled. _Again with the smile!_ Momo thought.

"Again, I should probably say sorry." He looked behind Momo and waved at Ran, which caused her to let out a small squeak. He looked back at Momo.

"Anyway, the reason I've come here is that I have a proposition for you and your friend, possibly. I really liked the pictures from the last shoot you did for me, and so, how would you like to do another one with me, only this time exclusive? I bet it'd really impress Charlie if you returned to the studio with a folder full of unofficial pictures of me." He winked as he finished.

Momo felt a jolt of electricity run up her spine as he winked at her, but she was mainly concentrated on the whir that was her thoughts at that moment.

_An exclusive shoot! This has possibilities! I bet this could really help my career-_ But then, her thoughts stopped short.

She cleared her throat. "That's quite a tempting offer, Mr. Hitsugaya, however, I must ask: What's the catch?"

He chuckled. "Just one thing: The shoot itself will be completely free. However, you'll have to agree to something with me." He leaned in closer, so close that Momo could see her reflection in his amazing eyes and feel his breath on her face. It was a cool, calming scent. He leaned in until he was right at her ear.

"Would you go to dinner with me?" he whispered, so low that only she could hear it. Momo could sense Ran sitting on the edge of her seat, straining to hear.

Momo took a small, sharp intake of breath as he said this. At first, she couldn't move her tongue. It took a moment to mobilize it before she answered, almost without thinking.

"Alright, then." she whispered back.

Toshiro leaned back, smiling at her as he did so. "It's settled then. We can do the shoot in an hour or so, by the pool. And," he grinned, "I'll see you at 8 o'clock at the reception desk tonight."

Momo smiled weakly.

Toshiro inclined his head slightly before turning to leave. Momo watched him walk, her eyes studying every one of his moments until he turned the corner and was out of sight.

Momo breathed in deeply as she closed the door. But before she could even turn around, a pair of hands rigidly gripped her arms and spun her around. Ran was staring at her, a slightly crazy, excited look in her face.

"OHMYGAWD!!! WE GET A SHOOT WITH HITSUGAYA!!! OHMYGAWDOHMYGAWDOHMYGAWD! OHMY-wait, what was the catch he whispered?" Ran was panting by now.

Momo looked away. "Oh, nothing. He just wants to take me to dinner tonight."

Rangiku looked like she was screaming, except no sound was coming out. She was flailing her arms wildly and running around the room, bantering silently. This continued for several minutes before she took Momo's arms in her vise-like grip again.

"YOUR-GOIN-TO-DINNA-WITH-HITSUYGAYA!!!!!" She yelled.

Momo blushed. "Yes, I am. C'mon Ran, it's nothing. Just a small payment for a big oppurtunity."

Rangiku groaned in anguish. "Open your eyes, woman! He's obviously smitten with you! And," she smirked, "he was totally the rose sender!"

Momo huffed. "Oh, Ran! You can't still believe that, can you?" And Momo really did mean those words, for her mind was truly stubbornly refusing to believe that he sent them. She knew in her heart that there was just. Absolutely. No. Way.

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Aaaand that's chapter 9!! Hope you liked it, quite a bit of action, no? Chapter 10 will have the date! And maybe if you review, Momo will get a clue! (heh. I made a rhyme.)

_**REEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!**_


	10. Boardshorts

Holy crapola, I haven't updated in ages! So sorry, been traveling and sick and when I'm not either of those I suffer from major writer's block. But hey, I actually have a master plan for this thing written out now! Soz updates will be fasters. Read on!

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Momo's usually agile, dexterous finger fumbled clumsily as she shakily unpacked her gear by the pool. She knew that despite its appearance of a casual photo shoot, this was a big chance for her career and she sure as heck wasn't going to waste it. The ambitious photographer finished setting up her tripod and camera to suitable default settings for the current conditions quickly. Usually she also would've had to deal with lighting and such as well, but the degree of sunlight today was almost too perfect to shift even a notch. Momo sighed and went over to a pool-side recliner to wait in. She was usually very good at the waiting game, but for some reason she was having trouble calming her nerves enough today to do it.

A few minutes later, a flash of strawberry blonde in her vision alerted Momo that Ran had arrived. The curvaceous woman excitedly made her way over to her, the back up cameras slung over her shoulders bouncing against her sides as she ran.

"Momo! Ohmigawd, I'm so excited!" She giggled. "I got the backups you requested, but seeing as you've never in your life needed them I don't know why you even bothered." Ran set the various padded cases on the recliner next to Momo, looking like she was about to say something else to spout her enthusiasm but frowned when she saw Momo's face.

"Something wrong, Momo?" she asked worriedly, concern blossoming behind the dominant excited gleam in her eye.

Momo sighed again. "Oh, I don't know. It's just that I'm not usually this nervous, you know? This is a big chance for us, Ran. I really don't want to waste it."

Ran nodded in understanding. "You're right, it _is_ a big chance. But still, you need to be excited, Momo! Plus," she added with a smirk, "are you sure you aren't nervous because of your *big date* with Hitsugaya tonight?"

Momo rolled her eyes. "Really, Ran. Have you ever in your life seen me fret over something so superficial? It's just dinner."

Ran looked like she was about to say something again when suddenly, a deep voice sounded behind the two women.

"Hinamori? Matsumoto? Are you two ready?"

Momo turned her head and her jaw dropped.

Toshiro was here. But it wasn't the fact that he was here that made her so shocked, it was what he was _wearing._ She'd expected him to wear some generic trendy Toshiro Hitsugaya-styled clothes, but this...this was...indescribably shocking.

There was one thing every photographer knew about Toshiro. He was a cold, almost invisible celeb who when rarely coaxed to do a shoot would wear only what he deemed the minimum for photo-shoot worthy. Also, that never in his life had Toshiro Hitsugaya done a swimsuit shoot, or even a shirtless shoot. It was a known fact that the only time he was ever in a pair of boardshorts was safely in his private pool with a sensor that jammed all electronics in a hundred foot radius.

Apparently, this was a day of firsts.

Next to Momo, Matsumoto's eye near popped out of their sockets before she screamed in delight and fainted.

Good lord, I think that that was the shortest chapter I've ever written in my life. But you can forgive me, no? Nice juicy cliffy too! *Sniff* I know that this is the chapter that's gonna break the 100 review point, and I'm feelin a liddle emotional. Yall have been great. Let's shoot for 200 now! Now, review and you might be the lucky three digiter!

_**REVIEW.**_

_**I COMMAND THEE.**_

_**THOUT HAVETH NO CHOICE.**_


	11. Photos

Yeaaaaaaahhhhhh…I haven't updated in a while. Sorry, no excuse this time, just writer's block. Hope not too many of you have stopped following my story. XD But I haz a chapter now, and the next one already written! Hel-LO updates galore ^__^ Enjoy!

Momo's throat was constricting to the point that it was almost dangerous. She was having trouble breathing properly, but she tried her best to keep the wheezing to a minimal so that the god-like shirtless man in front of her wouldn't notice.

For the life of her, Momo could not stop _staring._ She always disliked staring and tended to feel uncomfortable when caught doing so, but even though he was looking straight at her, she could not find it in her to pry her eyes off of the figure in front of her. Toshiro was…_beautiful._ Momo had before never used the description in association with a man, but it was the only word to describe him. His upper body was lean and toned, and his perfectly tanned skin seemed to almost glow. A six pack was clearly visible, not so much that it was obscene, but instead smooth and seemingly sculpted. His arms were also muscular; the bluish veins were visible against his creamy skin, running down the length of his arm in trails that ended in large, warm-looking hands. Momo blushed slightly as she glanced down at his boardshorts, concentrating intently on the midnight blue design. She quickly averted her eyes upward. His face, as usual, was perfect, his spiky white hair slightly tousled from taking off his shirt. His large, luminous turquoise eyes stared back at her, a curious glint in them. Momo wondered if he was judging her reaction. This was, after all, the first time he'd been shirtless in front of someone part of the media.

"_Good…sweet…freaking…god…"_ She thought. This was insane! Wonderfully, inexplicably insane. Toshiro Hitsugaya was surrendering his revered modesty, just so that they'd have even bigger opportunities with this shoot. It was almost unbelievable, only slightly believable because it was actually happening.

A flicker of doubt flashed in Momo's mind. _"But why would he do that? It can't be because…"_ but she abruptly interrupted herself and promptly squashed the idea, the flicker of doubt effectively muted. _"Preposterous. That's impossible. Just my last vestiges of adolescence getting the better of me." _The young photographer shook her head, clearing her mind.

Clearing her throat to loosen the now only slightly tightened muscles, Momo spoke in a clear voice as she gestured at the set up. "If you'd just pick your first pose, Mr. Hitsugaya, we may begin." Behind her, Matsumoto had weakly gotten to her feet, still somewhat dazed. _Never mind that,_ Momo thought, _I can begin without her._

Toshiro cocked an eyebrow as he walked over to the prepared area, standing squarely in the middle of it. "Aren't you the photographer? You can tell me what to do."

Momo looked down at her suddenly extremely interesting hands, flushing a little. "Well, Mr. Hitsugaya-"

"-Toshiro."

"…Mr. Toshiro, you're the one who wanted this shoot and usually I give commissioners a bit more power when it comes to the subject matter."

Toshiro shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. What do I do?"

Momo was thoughtful for a moment. And suddenly, an idea sparked. Momo blushed slightly before she asked, "Er…would you mind taking you shirt off again?"

Toshiro looked blankly at her for a moment, as if processing what she had just said. Then, he smiled and cocked his head to the side; his eyes were seemingly alight with amusement. "My shirt?"

Momo nodded quickly.

Toshiro looked like he was about to laugh as he walked over to the recliner where he had dropped his things and picked up his shirt. He began to put it on, but slowly so that Momo could take as many pictures as possible.

Momo felt like time was slowing down exponentially. Trying to avoid ogling the celebrity while his shirt covered his eyes, it took her several moments to raise her camera and begin clicking.

Toshiro was even more glorious in the sun, the delicate bright rays highlighting his hair like golden coins in the snow. Like before, he abided to her every wish. When she fully regained her senses, Ran adjusted features in the set as Momo instructed.

The air was only full of the sounds of her faithful camera. The click of the aperture opening and closing and whir of the lens being adjusted created a steady rhythm. Momo found herself falling into a trance, barely taking her camera away from her eye, studying every one of Toshiro's features and capturing them in the best angle, the perfect shot.

Some time later, Momo was just sitting down cross-legged on the sun-warmed stone ground, simply looking at Toshiro while she rested her head in her hand, a concentrated expression on her face. She glanced up at the sky, which was slowly darkening as the hour became later and later. There was something that needed to be changed; she just had to find it. Toshiro was sitting on a recliner, resting his chin on his hands that were woven together, his elbows resting on his knees. She'd asked him to take this position, and although it was a good one, she felt like there was something more she could do.

And suddenly, it hit her. Her eyes widened at how obvious it was, but then a slight pink blush heated up in her cheeks as she contemplated asking him.

"Er, Mr. Hitsugaya…"

"Toshiro." He interrupted, smiling somewhat.

Momo blushed. "Mr. Toshiro, would…would you mind going swimming?"

Toshiro seemed surprised at first, his head jerking back a fraction and his eyes widening a little. But he quickly regained his composure and laughed, making Momo's breath catch in her throat from the rare sound.

"I'd love to."

Grinning at her, Toshiro ran for the clear blue water and jumped, landing in a graceful swan dive that barely made a splash. Momo was snapping three shots a second all this time. Toshiro laughed again when he resurfaced. Momo froze.

In the exact moment that Toshiro came from the water, the now setting sun fell a fraction of a degree, and the fading light fell on every part of Toshiro perfectly. He was also at that moment closing his eyes and tossing his wet hair out of his eyes, his left hand coming up to brush it out of the way. The pose was so perfect, it seemed like Momo's camera clicked itself by its own accord. All Momo could do was stand there, dumbfounded, and look down at the perfect picture as it appeared on her display screen.

"Ran." She whispered.

Matsumoto, who had been chilling out on a recliner at this point, looked up. "Eh?"

"Come here."

Curious, Rangiku quickly made her way over to Momo. Momo gestured at the screen as she handed Ran the camera. At first, Matsumoto became very still, as if it was taking her brain a while to process what she was looking at. She then jerked her head up at Momo, her mouth dropping open in a perfect 'O' and her light blue eyes wide with shock and admiration. It looked like she was silently screaming. And then, in an unusually squeal-free, hyper-tackle-hug-free Matsumoto moment, the busty assistant walked up to Momo and gave her a tight hug and whispered, "That's beautiful, Momo. I think this is the big one."

Momo grinned weakly and hugged her back. "Thanks, Ran-chan."

Toshiro had waded to the edge of the pool and was resting his elbows on the tiles, his chin on top of his crossed arms. He looked at this scene curiously. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What's going on?"

Rangiku turned to look at him and smiled. "Oh, nothing, Mr. Hitsugaya, you just keep on modeling."

Toshiro shrugged and looked at Momo. "Shall we continue then?"

Momo smiled at him. "Yes, Mr. Hitsugaya. Don't move, I like that pose."

It wasn't long before Momo snapped a photo, and the display on her camera gently blinked a message telling her the memory was full. It was her last memory stick, so Momo lowered her camera and smiled weakly at Toshiro.

"Well, I guess that's it for today then." Toshiro nodded his head, the corner of his lip twitching in the smallest of smiles. He quickly made his way over to the recliner where he'd put his belongings and whipped on his shirt. He then turned around to the two photographers and grinned, waving. "Thanks for the shoot. I'll see you tonight at eight then, Momo." Waving once again, he turned and left through the stone pathway that led to the rooms.

Matsumoto and Momo waved until he was gone. Momo sighed with relief and began to pack up, but Matsumoto caught her hand. Looking up, Momo saw Matsumoto with a frighteningly mischievous grin and look in her eye.

"Not so fast, Ms. Hinamori," she said, still grinning, "I'll be the one packing up. You, on the other hand, are going straight to your room and getting ready for your big date!"

And that's chapter 12, to be soon followed by chapter 13! Man, it feels nice to finally be able to churn out a chapter. I'm also gonna try and tackle Sweet Peaches! (for those of you who read that one too) Sorry again for such a lull, PLEASE REVIEW WITH THAT AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL GREEN BUTTON ONLY A FEW INCHES AWAY.

****update** OMG! My super awesome friend FOUND A PHOTO WITH THE POSE. Well, it's not exactly like it, but fridiculously close! And sorry, it's Zac Efron, not a big fan, but hey, it's THE POSE!! **

./_nId0zVQn1xM/Rv0smMpH5wI/AAAAAAAAAO4/e5_KKsUBX48/s400/zac_


	12. Make Up

I swear, it took me two minutes after I posted the last chapter to write the first three fourths of this, but then like two weeks to do the rest. My writing habits are _redoinkulous_, I know. But anywhoo, thanks for still reading, enjoy!

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Momo whimpered.

She quickly scanned the contents of her suitcase for the millionth time, and sighed exasperatedly when she again came up with the same conclusion. _I have nothing to wear._

At that moment, Rangiku came through the hotel room's door, carrying an almost uncountable number of bags and wielding a tripod in each hand. Momo looked up at her as she entered, frowning as she saw the almost too-excited look on Ran's face as the woman set down all the equipment on one of the twin beds. She opened her mouth to begin her rant on her lack of anything to wear, but Matsumoto held up her hand and shook her head before she could say anything.

"Momo, I know exactly what you're going to say. 'Oh, Ran-chan, I have _nothing_ to wear! I can't possibly go out tonight! Tell him I have a fever or something!' And the answer, Momo, is no. No, you don't have nothing to wear. And NO, I'm not telling him _anything_ to get you out of this." She laughed, "Any girl would kill to have this opportunity! And we're going to make you do this right. Come with me."

And with that, Matsumoto took Momo's hand and dragged the girl over to her frighteningly tall pile of luggage. Matsumoto placed Momo firmly in front of the full-length mirror and opened up the first of the suitcases.

"Alright, we need to find the perfect outfit. I know you probably packed all two of your outfits, so I'll let you borrow some of mine. Don't worry, I definitely have some stuff that will fit you. Okay. Something sexy, but not slutty, that accents all your good points, but subtlety, and still moderate enough that it's not obvious you want to impress him…" Ran continued to think aloud as she emptied the contents of suitcase after suitcase, her brow furrowed slightly in deep concentration. Momo just stood there, awestruck at how many clothes one woman had managed to bring on one trip.

Almost ten minutes later, Ran dumped a suitcase and squealed in triumph, grabbing something dark blue from the pile of falling clothes. She held up the article with a proud expression on her face, but Momo just stared blankly at it. She could tell that it was made of some fancy cloth, but all it looked like was a pile of midnight blue material in Ran's hands. Rangiku rolled her eyes and quickly tore Momo's shirt off, ignoring her cries of protest, and fixed the top on, tying many straps together that Momo knew she would never have been able to figure out herself. Momo barely had any time to look in the mirror before Rangiku spun her around and grabbed a black skirt from a nearby pile, quickly getting Momo's own skirt off and replacing it with the black one, a tight wraparound-style one. Momo was about to yell that she felt like a doll when Ran spun her around once more to face the mirror, effectively stopping the words dead in Momo's throat.

At first, she had to turn around a little several times to make sure she was actually looking at herself. The top was glamorous yet casual, made of slightly shiny dark blue material. In the front, it looked like a tank top that ended just above her belly button. The area of skin below it to her waist was crisscrossed with dark blue straps made of the same material, which continued to her back which was bare save for the crisscross pattern and the strap of her bra. The skirt was made of some sort of silky black material, and had silver thread stitched along the top in an elegant pattern. The skirt was just the right length, not too short that it was obscene, ending about four inches above her knee. It was tight except for the last several inches, which swishes around her legs when she turned. Momo was aghast.

"Ran…I…I…doesn't this show too much skin?" she managed to sputter out, gesturing at the strappy top.

Rangiku clapped happily. "Absolutely not! You look beautiful, Momo. Now take this bra," she held up a special bra made of the same blue material that had a back strap of the same crisscrossed pattern, "go change, and when you come out we're going to do your make up. Oh, you're going to look absolutely gorgeous!" The hyperactive woman continued to rant as she shoved Momo into the hotel room's bathroom.

Momo's mind raced a mile a minute while she changed. _Wow, I look so different in this outfit. I feel so odd with so much skin showing…but I guess what Ran says is best. But what if he doesn't like it? What if…? _Her thoughts continued in this fashion until she emerged from the bathroom, greeted by the sight of Ran grinning somewhat evilly and wielding a surprisingly menacing looking lip brush.

"Brace yourself Momo, we're about to transform you!"

And with that, Rangiku took Momo by the shoulders and led her to a stool, facing away from the mirror. She studied Momo's face intently for several minutes, looking at it from different angles and holding up various shades of makeup next to the girl's creamy skin.

And then she began. Ran reached into her bag - some might call it an arsenal - of makeup and flipped open a small compact case. Looking at Momo's face all the while, she slowly took the small foam pad from its holder and gently dabbed it against the foundation. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, the area around her lips somewhat tight, as she gently and smoothly powdered Momo's face and neck with the soft powder. When all of Momo's face was covered in an almost unnoticeably thin layer of the foundation that still somehow managed to make her skin positively glow, Ran snapped the compact closed again and turned around, rummaging in her bag for next intended weapons. You could tell this was all about business with Ran.

The busty woman turned around, she now had three small containers and a short plastic stick in her hands, and she had the lip brush from before in her mouth, held still between her lips. She unscrewed the caps from the three containers, all of which contained light, medium, and dark shades of pink shimmery substances. Ran took a small amount from each container and mixed them on the cap of one container with the plastic stick. She then took the slender lip brush from between her mouth and dipped its soft bristles in the mix, and then slowly applied the attractive shade of pink to Momo's lips, making sure each outline was perfect. Ran pursed her lips together, motioning for Momo to do the same. When Momo did, Ran took a Q-tip and wiped away small imperfections.

Next, Ran took out another small compact full of a lightly shaded blush.

"Blush for me."

"What? I can't just-"

"The noodle incident of your sophomore year in high school!" Ran reminded impatiently.

At that, Momo blushed furiously. Rangiku studied the shade of pink her cheeks turned, and added a light dusting of the blush she held in her hand with a thick powder brush.

Rangiku then proceeded to bring out various tubes out of a small compartment in her bag. She instructed Momo to widen her eyes, and she then selected one of the tubes. She outlined Momo's large, attractive eyes expertly with liquid eyeliner, and then gently brushed her long eyelashes with a thick mascara brush. She stepped back and studied the effect for a minute, and then selected a smoky charcoal shader and proceeded to gently brush it from the lid to brow.

Rangiku stood back several feet and admired the effect.

"I am a _genius_!" she muttered

"Modest, too." Momo replied.

Rangiku ignored the comment, and dug in her bag until she pulled out a silver curling iron. She plugged it into an outlet in a nearby wall, and while it heated she started on Momo's hair. She pulled the girl's midnight black hair back, making small, slow movements. She then twisted it into an elegant bun, and reached into her bag to remove a hair stick ornament. She maneuvered the stick in the bun, flipping it this way and that, until it held the hair firmly in place. Rangiku tested the strength of the bun, and satisfied, she pulled out an identical stick and stuck it in the opposite side of the bun so that the two ornaments made an elegant 'X'. The ornaments had short strings of twinkling beads at the top, and small bells that chimed whenever Momo moved her head.

Rangiku then turned around and picked up the curling iron that was hot and waiting. She gently tugged two long strands of hair by Momo's ears out, and slowly wrapped the ends in the iron. When she released the iron a few seconds later, the hair bounced out in glossy curls.

Ran turned around and flicked the off switch on the iron, then reached into her Mary-Poppins-worthy bag and took out a pair of silver hoops. She quickly put them on Momo's ears, and then stood back and grinned smugly.

"Turn around." She said proudly.

Momo did so, but hesitantly. When she saw herself in the mirror though, she was again shocked. The girl in front of her was…was…_beautiful._ She looked like someone who belonged in front of a camera, not behind it.

She shook her head in a disbelieving manner. "I don't know how, or even what you did, Ran." She said. "…But thank you." She added in a whisper.

Rangiku again clapped happily and gave the shorter girl a suffocating hug.

"And you, missy, are now ready for your big date!"

For once, Momo didn't protest, but instead remained silent.

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ooo, the big date's next! Thanks so much for sticking with this story throughout all my hiatuses and such, hope you enjoyed reading.

REVIEW 


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